Grimaldi warns US port fees could push ships out of American trades

· Shipping · United States · Italy

Italian shipping group Grimaldi is warning that reinstating US port fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers could force it to redeploy vessels away from American trades and disrupt shipping services. gCaptain reported the warning without giving the fee level, the timing of any reinstatement or which of Grimaldi's services would be affected. Grimaldi operates vehicle and ro-ro tonnage, a segment where much of the global fleet is built outside the United States. The warning adds a European operator's voice to the debate over US port charges on foreign-built ships, which have become a live cost variable for carriers trading to American ports.

Why it matters：US port charges on foreign-built tonnage could redirect car-carrier and ro-ro capacity between trades, raising costs for automakers and reshaping where ships are deployed.

Key points

  • Grimaldi said it could redeploy vessels away from American trades.
  • The warning concerns fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers.
  • No fee level or reinstatement timetable was disclosed in the report.

Sources (original reporting)

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